Honokahua

Honokahua, the entire ahupua’a was awarded to Kale Davis on June 17, 1854 by Land Commission Award No. 8522B by King Kamehameha III and this was confirmed with Royal Patent No.2236 on November 22, 1855.

The size of this award is 2,650 acres

When we asked MLP to furnish their title for this area they provided a copy of a deed very different from the one they originally recorded at the Bureau of Conveyances. It was definetly an altered version and was not recorded. It was interesting to see that there was no signature by Mary Sylva, instead there was an X. Mary Sylva’s signature is recorded on more than 50 documents in both the archives and the Bureau of Conveyances. Some of the dates on those documents are later than that of the altered deed. 

We are not lawyers but there is obviously something wrong with that piece of paper.

There is an even bigger problem with their claim to the entire ahupua’a of Honokahua. The deed from Mary Sylva to Baldwin says she sells to him all that which her husband, Antone left her. So we checked to see what he left her by pulling out his will and probate as recorded in the archives Supreme Court Probate Records. 

This document says at the time of his death he owned 1000 acres in Honokahua. Of that 1000 acres he gave 160 acres to a Mr. Gasper and the remainder to his wife.

So were are the remainding acres? Still in the family. Whats even sadder is that the family burial and house site were reserved through all the trasfers in the family. MLP claims ownership of this land and has even considered selling/leasing it to others!

Maui Land and Pineapple has used these lands as collateral in their financing endeavors, they have sold and leased these lands. They have constistently claimed ownership of the entire ahupua’a knowing that they did not own it.

Again not a lawyer but I am sure there are several legal issues created with these actions.

It appears that the interests of the owners in Honokahua are undivided.